Ding zui ( Chinese: 顶罪; pinyin: dǐngzuì) is the Chinese practice of hiring impostors or body doubles to stand trial and receive punishment in one's place. [1] The term translates as "substitute criminal," and is reported to be a relatively common practice among China's wealthy elite. [2] [3] [4]
Accusations of ding zui surfaced in 2012 during the trial of Gu Kailai. The term " body double" (替身, "body replacement") quickly became popular on Chinese Internet fora, and Chinese authorities attempted to censor related messages. [3] [4] [5] Similar allegations had arisen in 2009 after the trial of one Hu Bin. [1] [4]
References
- ^ a b Geoffrey Sant (August 6, 2012). "Do the crime, pay someone else to do the time". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
- ^ Geoffrey Sant, Double Jeopardy:In China, the rich and powerful can hire body doubles to do their prison time for them, Slate magazine, 2 August 2012.
- ^ a b Sant, Geoffrey (24 August 2012). "Double Trouble in China". Slate. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ a b c Yuwen Wu (24 August 2012). "Gu Kailai and the body double debate". BBC News. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
- ^ ""Body double" blocked in online searches; Gu Kailai imposter at trial?". China Daily Mail. August 22, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
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